euro/asian/fare

Chicken Mac and Cheese

2012-02-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

The root recipe for this came from the family recipe box of one of the boys in my fiance's wing. Family recipes are always the best; I always feel blessed and privileged when they are shared with me. But I can't help but adjust a bit and add some things to make it my own; I hope that you do the same too!

Serving size: one 9x13 pan + a little pan for the overflow. (ie, 8 girls.....or 4 men...) This recipe can be easily halved if you want to make a smaller portion.

- 4 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 2 large chicken breasts, cubed
- 6 Tbls butter
- 6 Tbls flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 cups milk
- 4 cups cheese (any mixture of various cheeses will do. Don't use pre-shredded if possible; the starch used to prevent caking will make your mac and cheese sauce weird-ish. It's best if you grate blocks of cheese yourself. I like sharp cheddar, Gouda, Monterrey jack etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil the macaroni according to instructions on box; strain and rinse. Boil chicken breast until cooked; strain and rinse. Toss together, and pour into pans. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a medium sized pot on medium-high heat. Stir in flour and salt.
Add milk, one cup at a time. Bring to a slight boil after adding each cup of milk.

3. Reduce heat, add in cheeses, and stir till all is melted. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni, and gently stir in the pan (while trying not to spill over the sides) to combine. Top with a bit more shredded cheese.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with sauteed spinach and a cold ginger beer. Enjoy!!

Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin with Whiskey Peppercorn Cream Sauce

2012-02-21T08:47:00.001-05:00

This beautiful grass-fed, organic beef from Wegman's was totally worth the money. I don't normally splurge on food, but my advice is if you do, spend it on beef. And for fresh scallops as a garnish too.

Sprinkle beef with cracked pepper and course sea salt on both sides, and let sit. Don't over-season; let the beef speak for itself. Wrap around the sides with a piece of bacon and secure with two or three toothpicks in the sides. Set out on the counter at room temperature about half an hour before grilling to let it come to room temp to provide for even cooking.

Meanwhile, preheat your grill on high. Then start the whiskey peppercorn cream sauce; it will take about an hour from start to finish, but it just needs to be watched and stirred occasionally.

- 1 1/4 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 fluid ounces (4 Tbls.) whiskey
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbls very finely chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine beef broth and cracked black pepper. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently. Add 1 ounce (2 Tbls) whiskey and 1 cup cream. Continue simmering until reduced to 1 cup. Remove from heat and set aside.

Saute onions in a frying pan with olive oil. Add second 1 ounce (2Tbls) whiskey. Reduce heat, stir in peppercorn sauce and Dijon mustard, and reduce sauce until thickened.

About 15 minutes before meal time, place the steaks on the grill. DO NOT TOUCH for 2 minutes; then with tongs, pick up the steaks and rotate 90 degrees to get the nice criss-cross grill marks. Grill for another 3 minutes. Flip steaks ONCE, and repeat for grill-marks. Cook on that side until desired doneness, using a meat thermometer to measure internal heat.

When done, remove from grill and let rest on a plate or cutting board for 5-7 minutes to let the juices redistribute inside.

Sprinkle scallops with chili powder; sear in a frying pan on all sides, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Slice most of the way through, and fan out.

Spoon sauce onto plate and place steak on top.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a parsley garnish, and a scallop layered on top.

Voila!

Magic Mashed Potatoes and Spinach Salad

2012-02-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

This is the second installment of our valentines day dinner; our side, and our salad. I typically gravitate towards spinach salad because I love spinach, and it's just so darn easy. You can quite literally put whatever you want on it. The mashed potatoes were also a sort of experiment. I've never made them where I actually LOVED eating them; it's always been kind of 'meh.' But I found some tips to making them well, and that has all changed...

Mashed Potatoes

I compiled some tips from multiple different websites, and got some pretty fantastic results. Read the directions carefully before you start, just to make sure you get everything in order. It may seem tedious, but once you get the concept, it all makes sense.

First, boil the potatoes while still in their skins. The skins help keep the potatoes from absorbing too much of the water, and without skins, the potatoes become very waterlogged which results in runny mashed potatoes. Also, the skin of a potato helps it hold onto that hearty potato flavor, and it will also retain a lot more protein.

Secondly, the type of dairy used makes a difference. Milk is not quite rich enough, and waters down your potatoes. To get a perfect creamy consistency, use half and half or cream.

Also, the order in which you add ingredients actually matters. If you add cream or half and half first, you will end up with very sticky, heavy potatoes, but if it is added after the butter your potatoes will be much creamier. Half and half has water in it. When water interacts with the starch of the potatoes, it becomes like glue. But if you coat the starch with butter first, it protects it from the water, and your half and half will work much better to make a creamy mix.

Ingredients:
- about 20-24 small to medium sized garlic cloves (about 2/3 cup) still in their skins.
- 4-5 whole large russet potatoes, still in their skins
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 3/4 to 1 cup half and half or cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste

- Toast the garlic. Place garlic cloves (still in their skins) in a covered skillet (no oil) over lowest heat setting. Turn the cloves frequently by giving the skillet a shake. Toast until all cloves have dark brown spots all around and are slightly soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, still covered, until fully softened (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile:

- Boil potatoes. Scrub the potatoes but leave them in their skins. Place them in a large boiling pot, and cover with water an inch over them. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let cook about twenty to 30 minutes, until tender. They are done when you can easily stick a fork into their centers. Drain.

- Peel. The garlic and potato skins should come off fairly easily, using a knife or the back of a knife. Cut the potatoes into chunks and return them to the (now dry) large boiling pot, along with garlic cloves.

- Mash the potatoes and garlic with a potato masher or a fork. This will produce somewhat chunky mashed potatoes, but you still want them mashed well enough that you'll be able to stir them with a wire whisk later. Alternately, for smoother, silkier mashed potatoes, you can run the potatoes and garlic through a food mill or potato ricer.
- Melt the butter and warm the half and half or cream. This step is important for consistency. (Remember that you need 3/4 cup half and half or cream if you have made chunky mashed potatoes, but 1 full cup of half and half or cream for smooth mashed potatoes that have been run through a mill or ricer.)

- Drizzle the melted butter over the potatoes and thoroughly mix it in. You want it to coat all of the potatoes so that the half and half will not react with the starch and become sticky and glue-like.

- Using a wire whisk or a whisk attachment on a mixer, mix in the warmed half and half, coating the potatoes thoroughly and bringing them to a creamy consistency. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste, mixing well.

- Serve immediately.

Spinach Salad

There is something to be said for eating meals in courses. It makes you slow down, eat bite by bite, and gives you space to spend quality time with the people you are eating with.

Our valentines dinner started with rosemary olive oil bread from Wegman's and a Parmesan cheese/olive oil/chili flake/garlic dip (sorry, no picture), and a fresh spinach salad.

- Baby spinach
- Your favorite/homemade balsamic salad dressing
- Blanched almond slivers
- Dried cranberries
- Crumbled fresh goat cheese
- Sunflower seeds

Toast the almond slivers in a pan on medium heat till lightly browned and fragrant. Mix together with cranberries and sunflower seeds. In a large mixing bowl, use tongs to mix spinach with salad dressing. Place in bowls or plates and sprinkle toppings and goat cheese on top.

Enjoy!

Cappuccino Rum Cheesecake

2012-02-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

Hello! Yes, it's been a while. Wedding planning, house hunting, Christmas break, and life in general just kind of got in the way of me and my kitchen. But this valentine's day definitely called for something a little special. My fiance and I celebrated on Saturday instead of Tuesday, since we wouldn't have eaten till midnight if I had to come home and cook after work. This way, I was able to take the whole day to JUST PREP AND COOK. It was so relaxing and wonderful!

Here was the table setting...

My housemate's china and silver flatware which she very generously lent to us...

Dried flowers that he got me from last year cause I'm sentimental like that

I think the whole meal was a bit too awesome to fit into one post; each thing I made kind of deserves it's own space. So, let's start with the dessert, since even the Bible says that the last shall be first...

This beauty is a cappuccino rum cheesecake with strawberries and cream. I know the pictures aren't the best, but the last thing I wanted to do while this was just sitting in front of me was try over and over again to get a good picture in a poorly lighted kitchen. Pretty much to die for.

I got the original recipe from THIS site and followed it pretty much word for word. I didn't have espresso powder, so I just used two tablespoons of espresso. The coffee flavor wasn't very strong, so I'd recommend going with what the recipe calls for. I also sprinkled cocoa powder on the top for some added bitter contrast.

A couple important tips:
- Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature. If it's too cold, it won't blend easily and you might get lumps.
- Mix on low-medium speed. The more air you get into the cream, the more likely you are to get spaces and bubbles in the final product.
- Scrape the edges frequently to help get a good consistent batter.
- Mix thoroughly after and in between each addition (ie each egg, liquid, etc)
- Cut a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the springform pan for easy cleanup and removal.
- Don't overcook it; it should still be jiggly in the center when you take it out; it will set when it cools.
- If you are trying to lose weight, eat one piece, save a second, and give the rest of the cheesecake away; that's the only reason I didn't eat the whole thing.

1
9 ounce package (about 41 cookies) chocolate wafer cookies
1
cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2
cup packed brown sugar
1/8
teaspoon ground cinnamon
7
tablespoons butter, melted
1
cup whipping cream
15
ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2
tablespoons coffee liqueur
4
8 ounces packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/3
cups granulated sugar
2
tablespoons all purpose flour
2
tablespoons instant espresso coffee powder
3
tablespoons dark rum
1
tablespoon vanilla
2
teaspoons molasses
4
eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2
cups dairy sour cream
1/3
cup granulated sugar
2
teaspoons vanilla

1.For crust: In a food processor, combine chocolate cookies, semisweet chocolate pieces, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cover and process until finely ground. Add melted butter; cover and process until combined. Press mixture onto the bottom and 2-1/2 inches up the side of an ungreased 10x3-inch springform pan. Set aside.

2.For ganache: In a medium saucepan, bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add bittersweet chocolate; do not stir. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in coffee liqueur. Pour 2 cups of the ganache into crust, spreading evenly. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer the remaining ganache to a small bowl; cover and chill until ready to serve.

3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, combine cream cheese, the 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar, and the flour. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. In a small bowl, combine coffee powder, rum, the 1 tablespoon vanilla, and the molasses; stir to dissolve coffee powder. Add to cream cheese mixture; beat until combined. Stir in eggs. Pour over ganache layer in pan, spreading evenly.

4.Place cheesecake on a foil-lined large baking sheet. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a 3-inch area around the outside edge appears set and the center appears nearly set when gently shaken.

5.For topping: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and the 2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling. Bake about 10 minutes more or until topping is set. Cool cheesecake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the crust from side of pan. Cool completely (about 1-3/4 hours). Remove side of pan. Cover and chill overnight.

6.Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Heat the remaining ganache. Spoon ganache over each serving of cheesecake. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Enjoy!

Easy Crusty Bread

2011-11-30T08:16:00.001-05:00

I love bread. Pretty much all kinds.

But the best kind....

...is crunchy and crusty on the outside and moist and tender on the inside.

This is probably the easiest recipe that gets those results that I have made in a long time. The original recipe uses a dutch oven or any sort of covered dish; I don't have one, so I used a cast iron pan. Whatever you use, make sure it has a thick bottom to prevent burning. I know it looks like a lot of instructions, but there really aren't that many steps. I added some things that I did, and things that may help you. I'd suggest reading through it once first, just so you know where you are heading. I want to make it again, but this time add spices or herbs or cheese or something... If you experiment with it and have any success, comment and let me know!

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups warm water

- 1/4 teaspoon yeast

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 3 cups flour, plus some for dusting

- Corn meal for dusting

1. Mix water and yeast till yeast is dissolved. Add flour and salt and stir till dough looks shredded and kind of sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 8 hours, preferably 10-12. Go to work. Or bed, whichever time frame you'd like.

2. There should be lots of bubbles when you return, and it should smell a bit fermented. Scrape the dough into a ball and turn onto a floured surface. Fold it over a few times (don't work it too much) and let sit for another 15 minutes.

3. Gently shape it into a ball. I do this by pulling all the edges into a little clump; flip it over so that that seam is down on a non-floured surface, and then use your open/cupped hands to turn it in a circle. If it sticks right, the circular motion will pull the dough together and "screw" it into a nice round loaf. Generously dust a clean dish towel with cornmeal, and place the dough there seam-side down. Dust the top with a bit more cornmeal and let rise for 2 hours. It should have doubled in size

4. 20 minutes before the dough is ready, pre-heat the oven to 475*. I know, it sounds really hot, but no, it's not a typo. Place your dutch oven/ceramic dish/cast iron pan in the oven.

(I do not own a dutch oven, so I improvised with a cast iron pan and a make-shift tin foil cage which worked GREAT. Just be careful that you crinkle the foil edges together to seal off as much as you can, and that when you are assembling the cage on a hot pan, you are careful not to burn yourself.)

5. When the dough is ready, pull out your pan and turn the dough seam side up into it. Shake it a bit if it gets too disfigured. Cover with a lid (or enclose it in a tin foil cage), and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove lid/tin foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, till brown. Let it cool before slicing.

I found this recipe here: there is an interesting article about this method of baking bread, and the ideas behind it. Enjoy!

Best Snack Ever

2011-11-27T21:17:00.001-05:00

I was introduced to these by my fiance, and I have to admit that I laughed at him at first. But, like most things, he was right and I was wrong. They are little drops of wonder and delight and are the BEST healthy way to satisfy any sweet tooth cravings. What are they?

Frozen grapes.

Green grapes

Red grapes

Purple grapes

Concord grapes

Any grapes.

Wash them and pluck them from the stem; dry them off, and throw into a gallon freezer bag. Pull out a handful when you have those late night ice cream cravings and pop them in your mouth. They are the perfect soft frozen-y texture and need barely any time to thaw. Yes, they still have sugar, but these natural sugars are so much better for you than anything that starts with Haagen or ends with Dazs. Guaranteed.

I've also avoided buying grapes thus far because as a single person, I always find that I could never finish off a big two pound bag before they went bad. This also effectively removes that problem without losing any of grapes nutritional value (ie Vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, calcium, antioxidants, etc).

Grilled Chicken Salad

2011-11-15T19:27:00.001-05:00

This is another fallback favorite for dinner that's really easy to prep and super inexpensive and about a hundred times cheaper than buying a salad like it in a restaurant. Some ideas of what to use are as follows: salad greens/spinach, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, carrots, parmesan cheese, and marinated grilled chicken.

Wash and cut the veggies, grill and slice the chicken, drizzle a little of your favorite vinaigrette on the top and enjoy!

Lemon Ginger Shortbread Squares

2011-11-07T07:49:00.004-05:00

A wonderful side to a cup of dark roast french-ly pressed coffee or tea. Unlike most other baked goods I make, I actually prefer these after they are cooled. They hold up well and last pretty much forever, if they don't get eaten that is.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- A couple drops of lemon extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger (more if you want a stronger flavor)
- 2 cups flour

1. Beat together the first four ingredients till smooth and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla, lemon extract, and ginger and combine.
3. Slowly add flour, and mix till just combined. It will probably be crumbly.
4. Press dough together with your hand inside the bowl until it is united enough to put out on a flat surface. Press into a rectangle and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
5. About 20 minutes before dough is ready, preheat oven to 325*. Once dough is chilled, roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with sugar and cut into squares or circles or stars or diamonds or whatever suits your fancy.
6. Bake for 20-22 minutes, till edges are slightly brown. These got a little darker than I would have preferred. Watch them carefully, since once they start browning, they brown FAST. Let cool on the baking trays for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling racks. Store in an airtight container.

Cranberry Almond Granola

2011-10-26T08:52:00.001-04:00

The perfect mixture of sweet, sour, and salty.

I made a pretty hefty batch as you can see. You can easily half the recipe if you want a smaller amount. (And yes, that is bacon grease on the left, but no I did not use it in this recipe. Even though it's the stuff of the gods.)

Ingredients:

- 6 cups rolled oats (whole, not quick oats)

- 1 1/2 to 2 cups slivered almonds

- 3/4 to 1 cup sunflower seeds

- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1/2 cup honey OR pure maple syrup OR a mixture of both

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cups dried cranberries, chopped if desired

Preheat oven to 250*. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Stir together the next three ingredients (honey/syrup, oil, and vanilla) then pour over dry ingredients. Stir until the moisture is evenly distributed.
Pour onto flat baking sheets. Make sure the granola is not more than 3/4 inch deep on each tray.
Bake for 70-80 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes to make sure it all cooks evenly.
When there is about ten minutes left, stir in the cranberries.

Remove from heat when it looks like it needs five more minutes. It will brown up nicely and get crispy after you remove it from the oven as it cools, and if you leave it in right up until it looks perfect, the remaining heat will turn it at least a shade darker.

I like my granola chunky, so if you do too, let it cool in the pans without stirring. After it cools and gets crispy, you can break it up into whatever size pieces you like.

Store in an airtight container.

Pour into a bowl and serve with coconut or almond milk. Or normal milk, if you're normal like that.

Pumpkin Chip Scones

2011-10-21T09:01:00.002-04:00

These puppies are as delish as they are beauties. Something about anything pumpkin makes Fall so much more...Fall-ish. This is a different recipe than my normal scone recipe found HERE; the moisture of the pumpkin requires some different proportions, not to mention all the additional spices that go along with it.

Ingredients

- 2 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- Dash of ground cloves
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 cup to 2 cups minced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, or chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 large eggs
- Sugar, for topping

1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Cut in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. Stir in the ginger and/or chips.
2) In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth.
3) Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together (takes a bit of time; just keep mixing! Hands work great).
4) Scrape the dough onto a floured cutting board or your counter, and divide it in half. Round and press each half into a 5" or 6" circle. The circles should be about 3/4" thick.
5) Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.
6) Slice each circle into 6 wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet about 1/2 in apart.
For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
7) Bake the scones for 20-23 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
8) Store in a ziplock bag or other airtight container. You can reheat them in the microwave later which is totally worth it.

Tia Omelettes

2011-10-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

During my time at college, I got a campus job in the kitchen and being a freshman, I got stuck with the morning shift. This meant getting to work by the evil hour of 6 am. This doesn't sound so bad now, but while a student averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night, I wasn't always in the best of moods (my apologies to all those security officers who had to let me in every day!) However, I was able to get my angst out by actually cooking; the head chef let me make custom ordered omelettes, which also (thank goodness) gave me something to talk about with the students who came through the line instead of having to put a coherent thought together. "Would you like cheese with that?"was all I had to say.
I think I averaged between 30-40 omelettes each morning I worked... after working 3-4 days a week for six semesters, that's a lot of omelettes and a lot of grease in my hair. I guess people liked them because they started calling them "Tia omelettes," hence the name of this post.

Ahh I have so many stories... I could tell you about the one guy in school who ordered an omelette with ten eggs... Then there was the guy who would ask for three eggs, but with only one egg yolk; the guy who would ask me almost every day if I could do a poached egg..... on a grill..... and the guy who would point at each thing he wanted and say "NI HAO" each time as if he was making any sense in Chinese, and of course the time that I knocked out the power of the entire academic building of Founders Hall around 7 am.....yeah that happened.

This is one of those recipes where you can quite literally put whatever you want into them. You can do as few or as many of these ingredients as you'd like; you can use however many eggs you'd like, and you can cook it as thorough or as al dente as you'd like. A few other things other than listed below I've used before are sausage, jalapenos, ham, breakfast potatoes etc.

Suggested Ingredients:
- Red onion
- Red/green pepper
- Bacon, cooked and chopped
- Fresh basil
- Sliced mushrooms
- Diced tomatoes
- Fresh spinach
- Eggs (2 per serving)
- Shredded cheese

All you need to do is chop/dice everything into small pieces. Saute in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil till desired "done-ness" (shown below).

Remove from pan; I usually dump it on a plate.

Put a scant teaspoon of oil in the pan again, and heat on hi till a drop of water dances in the oil. Beat two eggs together, and pour into the pan. Guide the egg with a spatula, or turn the pan to spread out the egg. Cook until the egg doesn't jiggle too much. Place the veggie/meat mix in a column down the middle of the egg circle. Sprinkle cheese on top.

I apologize for not having a picture of the final product! From here, use a spatula to fold the right panel of egg over the cheese/toppings; flip again in same direction so that everything is rolled onto the left panel like a big burrito with the seam on the bottom. Scoop onto a plate, and sprinkle more cheese on top.

Serve with coffee and orange juice and seize the day as the winner that you are.

French Apple Cobbler

2011-10-17T07:12:00.000-04:00

What can I say?

Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8-9 apples (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)

- 4 tablespoons butter

Topping
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup whole oats
- 1/3 cup sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Mix the first eight ingredients together in a small bowl. Peel and cut apples to desired size. Pour over diced/sliced/cut apples and mix till well coated; pour into 9x13 pan.
2. Dot apples with 4 tbls butter. Mix all Topping ingredients together. Drop dollops on apples, about four across and five down. Use your fingers or a fork to partially spread the dough out.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is a nice golden brown and the apples are bubbling.

Yeah, that just happened. Serve with freshly whipped cream sweetened with a tablespoon of pure maple syrup.

Pumpkin Bread

2011-10-14T11:39:00.002-04:00

This is a must-have for Fall!

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Topping:
- Chocolate chips (optional, not pictured)
- 1/3-1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans and sprinkle chocolate chips on top if desired.
Bake for about 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool for 2 minutes. Use a chopstick or something similar to poke holes in the top of the loaves. Melt the butter/cinnamon/sugar together and pour over the top, letting the topping seep into the bread.

Enjoy!

Spinach Quesadillas

2011-10-12T09:33:00.002-04:00

Here's a good mid-week meal for those of you who start out with good intentions of making lots of wonderfully complicated meals, then halfway through the week realize it's not as possible as you thought. This is one of my default meals after work, and it's quick and easy! I've been experimenting with different cheeses and different fillings as well, trying to use as many different vegetables as possible. Anything that cooks down relatively thin works really well.

Ingredients:
- Whole grain tortilla (SO much yummier and crunchier than plain white ones!)
- Shredded cheese
- Fresh spinach

1. Saute spinach till tender. Set aside, and place tortilla in pan. Spread cheese and spinach, fold over in half, and cook till crispy and brown.
2. Let sit and cool for 2 minutes, then cut into pieces. Enjoy!

Chicken Lime Fajitas

2011-10-10T08:53:00.000-04:00

This is so fresh and light, yet robust and flavorful. You can use chicken or beef; I think that beef would probably soak up the flavor a little bit more than the chicken did, but I had a chicken breast I needed to use. Play around with it and see what suits you best!

1 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup lime juice, about 2 limes
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded if desired
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt
1 1/2-pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
2 orange and/or yellow bell peppers, quartered, seeds removed
1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup fat-free Greek Yogurt
12 corn tortillas
Shredded cheese
Spinach

1. Put the cilantro, lime juice, broth, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, honey, and salt in a blender, puree until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons; do not wash out the blender.

Put chicken breasts in a medium bowl and the peppers and onions in another. Divide the remaining cilantro puree evenly between the chicken and the peppers and onions. Toss well to coat the chicken and vegetables and let stand, at room temperature, for 30 minutes.

2. Add the avocado, 1/2 cup water, and the reserved 2 tablespoons cilantro sauce to the blender. Puree until smooth and season with salt. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a small skillet set over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin and coriander and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour the spices over the yogurt and set aside for the flavors to blend. Do not stir until ready to serve.

4. Preheat a grill for medium-high/direct heat cooking. Grill the chicken and peppers about 5 to 8 minutes for the vegetables and 12 to 15 minutes for the chicken. Saute onions in a frying pan till translucent. Let chicken rest 5 minutes. Place the tortillas on the grill until just warmed through.

5. To assemble the fajitas: slice the onions and peppers into thin strips and then slice the chicken. Place some peppers, onions, chicken, spinach, shredded cheese and cilantro in a tortilla topped with the spiced yogurt and the avocado sauce.

EAT!

Pumpkin Pie Mini's

2011-10-06T14:02:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the lack of a picture again. I'll blame it on the boys in my fiance's wing at school, since they were who these were made for. But the concept's not hard, so I'm sure you get the idea; and I'll add one that I found on the internet that looks about like how mine turned out. That's only half-cheating since I did do all the work, right?

Preheat oven to 425*

1. Make a two-crust pie crust recipe (Don't roll it out yet).

2 ½ cups all purpose or pastry flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup cold butter cut into chunks

¼ cup cold water

1. Mix 2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.

2. Cut in the butter in a food processor or with a pastry cutter.
3. Add the other 1/2 cup of flour and stir gently; don't overmix this flour.

4. Sprinkle ice cold water and mix with a fork and then your hands. It will feel dry, but do not add more water; keep squeezing and kneading till it comes together.

5. Roll out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper.

2. Combine the following in a small bowl:

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3. Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl.

4. Stir in 1 15-oz can of pumpkin and the sugar/spice mixture.

5. Gradually stir in 1 12-oz can evaporated milk and set aside.

6. Roll out your pie dough and cut into circles big enough to fill a cupcake holder. Smoosh the circles into the cupcake pans, making sure that there are no holes, and coming mostly up the edges. Fill with pie filling, leaving at least half a centimeter of crust free on top.

7. Bake at 425* for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350* and bake for about 20-30 minutes more. Check periodically to make sure nothing is burning or overflowing. When a toothpick comes out clean and the middle is set, they are done!

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

2011-09-22T21:27:00.000-04:00

Anything with cinnamon and sugar is my kryptonite. Well, one of them at least...

Hungry yet?

1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

For the coating:

1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Combine oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
Shake muffins out of the muffin tin while the muffins are still hot.
Dunk the tops of the muffins in the melted butter and then into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.

Scookies

2011-09-21T15:50:00.003-04:00

So I made THESE the other day, but with a few changes of my own.

- I added about a extra 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup flour = made them more cake-y, and more like scones. Hence the name "scookies" (coined by my beloved fiance, whom these were for in the first place).
- I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract. Heavenly.
- Didn't use nuts cause I didn't have any...
- Used 1/2 the suggested amount of sugars, and added 1/3 cup pure maple syrup. Two full cups of sugar is just way too much sweetness in my opinion.
- And using margarine for cookies is like using milk for motor oil. Don't do it. Ever.

Aaand like usual I forgot to take pictures, so you're going to just have to take my word for it.

Enjoy!

Original Recipe:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
2 cups (12 ounces) white chocolate morsels
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in oats, morsels, and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Apple Pie (ie FALL IS HERE)

2011-09-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

Today has a high of 61 degrees. This is definitely a reason to celebrate, so I did what any good American would do. I baked an apple pie.

I haven't baked in a while (getting engaged and starting to plan a wedding definitely takes up any extra time one might have [I'm definitely not complaining though!]), so I thought a pie would be a perfect celebration of baking and of this upcoming Fall season.

I used the concepts explained HERE; I figured if the Pioneer Woman uses external tutorials, who am I to plead independence and try to do it on my own? So yes. Go there and read what she has to say; she's got great tips and pointers about pie-making, and several good concepts that can apply to every pie you will ever make again.

Some notes on my particular pie:
- I used granny smith apples since they give a nice tart flavor, and I don't like things too sweet.
- I mixed the cut apples with a fistful of sugar, a couple dashes of cinnamon, pinch of cloves, two dashes of nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and two tablespoons of flour.
- I used all butter in my crust.
- At first, 1/4 cup of water in the dough recipe didn't seem like enough to me. I had to squish it all together and knead it with my hands for about a minute before it stuck together. THEN, when I rolled it out, the dough turned out really sticky for me; so I added a couple tablespoons of flour on the parchment paper then. Like she says in her post, I don't recommend using too much in the rolling out process; but mine so wet it was falling apart. So don't feel tempted to add more water in the beginning... it'll all come together eventually.
- I just realized that these pictures shows the ugliest part of my crust. Lame. I promise it's better looking on the other side...
- Don't forget to put a cookie sheet or tray under your pie when you bake it if you don't want to be cleaning the bottom of your oven the next day!

Sooo...

2011-08-15T13:39:00.001-04:00

I've been a bit distracted lately to say the least.... My favorite person in the world finally came back from China after being gone for ten ugly horrible weeks, and he gave me a real nice gift when he got back...

Hopefully coming down from this high will get my culinary juices flowing. No guarantees though, and no guarantees that this won't turn into a wedding planning blog either. =D

Ideas...

2011-08-07T15:57:00.002-04:00

I lack them. Any requests or recipes you'd like to see?

Comment if you do! Otherwise I may just go AWOL for a while till I'm inspired...

Greek Chicken Salad

2011-08-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:

- Fresh baby spinach

- Grape tomatoes

- Cucumber

-Black/Kalamata olives

- Feta Cheese

- Chicken breast

Dressing:

- Olive oil

- White wine vinegar

- Dried oregano

- Dash of salt

- Dash of sugar

Chicken Rub:

- Course salt

- Freshly ground pepper

- Dried oregano

- Dried parsley

Mix the rub together (which about equal proportions of each spice) and coat chicken breast. Let sit while your grill heats up. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing, and whisk until it combines. It should actually turn slightly creamy-looking; add more sugar and salt to taste.

Grill the chicken breast. While that's cooking, wash and cut your vegetables. I sliced the grape tomatoes width-wise, and they are SO much easier to pick up with a fork! I also sliced the olives length-wise in quarters, which gave it a different look that I liked.

Once the chicken is done, slice to a desired size, and toss everything together. Serve immediately.

Purely Decadent

2011-08-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

So I unfortunately discovered this at Wegman's the other day... The good news is that it is dairy free and all natural; the bad news is... it costs money and there is lots of natural saturated fat from the coconut milk. But some things are just worth it, right?

Cajun Chicken Alfredo w/ spinach

2011-07-27T09:15:00.000-04:00

Hungry yet? Thought so.

Ingredients:
- Chicken breast
- Fettucini noodles
- Spinach
Alfredo:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Cajun Chicken Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt

Mix the cajun seasoning together, and coat raw chicken breast. Let sit. Meanwhile, cook the fettucini noodles; when done, drain and rinse with hot water. Grill the chicken on a barbecue or in a cast iron pan, and set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream and milk and stir. Add parmesan cheese and whisk until parmesan cheese is incorporated and not grainy. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, or until desired thickness.
I love spinach, and I like it a bit crunchy, so instead of sauteing or cooking it, I simply poured the hot alfredo sauce over a large helping of raw spinach. Mix together with tongs until the heat from the sauce has wilted all the leafy goodness. Toss with noodles. If the noodles are cold, run them under very hot water from the tap to warm them up before serving. Slice the chicken breast, place it on top or mix it in, and enjoy!

Bruschetta

2011-07-25T14:19:00.000-04:00

Best snack ever.

Ingredients:

- 2 medium sized tomatoes

- 1/2 red onion

- 3/4 of a can of olives, chopped

- A couple dashes of Italian seasoning

Chop everything up to your desired consistency and mix together.

Eat with:

- Sliced baguette

- Olive oil

- Crushed/Chopped garlic

- Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

- Pepper

Preheat oven to a high broil. Combine olive oil and garlic, and brush on top of each piece of bread. Top with parmesan cheese, and sprinkle with some freshly ground pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and bake till slightly brown and crispy. Keep an eye on them, because they cook fast! No oven fires please.